FIERCE competition for places has had a massive impact on Latics’ upturn in form, according to manager Richie Wellens.

Athletic are looking to make it six games unbeaten when Portsmouth are the visitors to Boundary Park on Saturday – a run which has seen them clamber out of the League One drop zone.

And the gaffer puts a lot of that down to the fact he has such a strong talent pool of players to call upon if he feels changes need to be made.

He said: “Footballers never mean to do it, but if you know you’re getting picked every week you can take advantage of that, it’s human nature.

“Back in January, I only had two central midfielders available for me to pick and two strikers.

“Subconsciously, they know they’re going to get picked and if they’re playing poorly they know my options to change it are very limited.”

Wellens referred back to when the team almost picked itself, with injuries and player registration problems hindering progress.

The luxury of having Eoin Doyle fit again and firing, together with what Duckens Nazon brings to the side are just two examples of why selection headaches are now commonplace.

Now the likes of Ryan McLaughlin, Rob Hunt, Patrick McEleney, Brian Wilson and Aaron Amadi-Holloway regularly have to settle for a place on the bench.

Tope Obadeyi, Gevaro Nepomuceno, Kundai Benyu, Jonathan Benteke, George Edmundson and Abdelhakim Omrani aren’t catching the matchday squad.

“It’s not like it was a couple of months ago,” added Wellens.

“At the time, we only had two fit strikers in Davies and Holloway, who are both excellent players, but too similar in style.

“All of a sudden we can now start two strikers who complement each other well and if it’s not working, change both of them and bring two others on who also work well together.

“Having really good players breathing down your neck for the shirt can have a massive effect on the starting 11 – they raise their game.

“Put Messi in the Manchester United squad and six or seven players would up their game by 30 to 40 per cent.”

Wellens also believes his players deserve credit for the things they do when they don’t have the ball – much of which can often go unnoticed.

He said: “Dan Gardner has been excellent for a number of weeks. His ability to react when we lose the ball is excellent.

“That’s because he knows if he’s not doing it, there’s the likes of Ben Pringle who can play centre midfield – Kundai Benyu can do it too.”

It is of paramount importance, however, to remember who you’re up against, says Wellens, with desire, allied with balance and discipline, the key.

“In the Premier League, Manchester City – and a few more besides – have a five-second rule where if they lose the ball, they hunt it down and get it straight back,” he said.

“That’s because when two elite teams come together, you know the opposition are going to pass the ball so you can afford to press.

“It’s different in our league, you don’t have the five-second rule because if the opposing centre back has the ball, he’s probably not looking to pass it into midfield, he’ll just knock it long.

“What you don’t want is your team pressing for the sake of it, the defender goes long and your team are all out of position.

“At our level, you’ve got to get the balance right. You must show hunger and desire but with discipline.”

Keep checking here for all the latest team news in the run-up to Saturday’s game.